Jane Wendelin Named January Employee of the Month

Hometown: Though she grew up in Montgomery County, Md., and now lives in Arlington, Va., she considers herself a native Washingtonian.

Current position: Business manager for the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study.

Number of years at Mason: She began working as a consultant with the Krasnow Institute in May 2000. She became an employee one year ago.

What She Does: “I coordinate and execute all the administrative, human resources, financial, grant and budget activities for the institute. My goal is take care of all the collateral issues so that our principal investigators and their teams are able to concentrate on their scientific research.”

What She Enjoys Most about Her Job: “I enjoy working with this group of brilliant and dedicated scientists. I find it fun to be able to take care of problems. It’s a great feeling at the end of the day to know I have made a difference by supporting their research. I also enjoy very much working with representatives from all over campus.”

What She Did Before Coming to Mason: “I have almost 30 years of experience in business administration and accounting with several different companies. Most recently, I was the practice administrator for two large pediatric medical practices in Springfield, Va.”

Most Memorable Mason Moment: Waiting in line at the bookstore for her Mason Final Four T-shirt.

What She Does in Her Spare Time: “I spend a good deal of time at Irish dancing activities with my 14-year-old daughter, Julia. She is the dancer, not me! I’m the chauffeur and the financier. Between lessons, performances and competitions, we are constantly on the go. It’s great fun, and I’ve met many wonderful people. I’ve also been practicing yoga for the past 13 years.”

Something People May Not Know about Her: She taught high school French and Spanish for two years. She also played the guitar and sang at coffeehouses when she was in college.

What Others Say about Her:

“Jane’s work for the institute is superb and indispensable. She keeps labs and centers running from the financial and administrative point of view – and she does it all with tremendous energy, punctuality, effectiveness, passion, precision and, most importantly, a sense of humor. She consistently turns complex situations into ‘done deals.'”

-Giorgio Ascoli, head of computational neuroanatomy at the Krasnow Institute

“Jane Wendelin is a problem-solving extraordinaire. Her approach can make most problems disappear to identify the real problem and/or possible solutions. She does this with enthusiasm and good humor, making her office a cheerful center of action.”

“Jane is a wealth of information and can always explain complex paperwork. But just as significant as all of the services she provides is her attitude in performing these services. She is always cheerful and helpful.”

-Kim (Avrama) Blackwell, associate professor at the Krasnow Institute

“Jane Wendelin is the go-to person at Krasnow. We know we can always count on her. She is a consistent and solid contributor to ensuring the efficient workings at George Mason. If I were to put together a list of people who are in the same league as Jane, it would be a very short list, and Jane would be at the top.”